Why ?

[midlife]

I have a secondary system; Crown IC150A, D150A, Kenwood KT8300, and cd player. The speakers are JBL L15s and I have to turn the bass down on the preamp nearly 3/4s to have it sound right. The bass is not distorted, but is overbearing if not cut significantly. Has anyone noticed a vintage Crown IC150a being noticeably biased toward BIG bass or do I have other issues? thanks.

[Mr. Widget]

Speaker placement?


Widget

[midlife]

hmmm, could be. I have had to put the spkrs under the table that carries the amp, pre, tuner, etc.. It is a 6' utility table 28" high. The L15s are under the table, on the floor, and stand apprx 15" high.

[boputnam]

Speaker placement?

+1

Yeah, your description sounds like placement is enhancing coupling with the floor / room. Is this a wood floor?

If you have time and interest, try moving them out from that location over to a different one, just for grins.

[midlife]

The floor is wood, and the bass response is absurdly exagerated.

[grumpy]

dead tweeters?
"HIGH FILTER" on?
"PUSH for Loudness" button engaged?
Speakers facing the floor or wall?
Broken component(s)?

You have this... correct?:
http://www.crownaudio.com/pdf/legacy...nersManual.pdf

[hjames]

Try moving the speakers around the room,
not permanently, just to see if the sound changes, and how ...

Its an engineering kind of thing - they have an optimal place, and that place may not be where you want them, but ... see what you find out!

The floor is wood, and the bass response is absurdly exagerated.

[MikeBrewster77]

The L15s are ... on the floor

That could definitely be an issue. As others have remarked placement is key with any loudspeaker system. Find something (anything around the house will do for a test run) to get them off the floor with the tweeters approximately at ear level, and the boxes at least 12-18" away from walls, and you'll likely hear a noticeable difference. If so, and you like the results, then invest in or build proper stands.

Bon chance!